Someone has said: "Confession is good for the soul." That is probably a true statement, but it relates immediately to the content of that confession. The assumption is, of course, that confession has something to do with an infraction of a law, a code of social behavior, or of something hidden deep within the heart and mind of the person confessing.

Three key words will provide the basic structure or format of this message: Agreement, Benefits, and Caution. These will help us remember, and may well serve us as the

A-B-C's of Confession.

1. AGREEMENT – Provides the definition of confession.

From the Old Testament word hd`y` (yada) it is learned that confession means, quite simply, "to own," "to acknowledge," "to confess," or "to praise." By this we can understand that there is a basic idea in the Hebrew word. It is "simply the acknowledgement of the reality of that which is stated." It is used in the text from Proverbs 28:13, and in various other places in the Old Testament, but it is used in the context of praising God for Who He is, and for what He has done, is doing, and will do for His people.

From the New Testament word oJmologei'n it is easy to dis-cover a clear definition for the word “confession.” It emerges from the word o{mo" which indicates “like,” or “same” and the verb that indicates “to freely and verbally acknowledge.” Therefore, and quite in harmony with the Old Testament’s understanding of “confession,” the New Testament concept is “freely speaking in agreement with that which is presented to us.”

It is quite evident from Scripture that the exercise of “confession” can be focused in two directions:

(1) Confession is verbally and openly agreeing with the reality of who God is and what He has done, is doing, and will do in the lives of His people.

“When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple, then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel…” (1 Kings 8:33-34)

Confessing the name of God is a confession that we are in agreement with Who God is, as well as submitting to the full authority of God to declare and to do whatever He wills regarding our lives.

This follows into the New Testament in terms of confessing Jesus Christ…the reality of Who He is, and in submission to His Lordship over our lives.

“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:8-10)